Gay rights activist sacked over bumper-sticker threats

A gay rights advocate has been sacked from a Victorian Government committee after threatening to produce car bumper stickers mocking its inaction on homophobia in schools.

Rob Mitchell, a cattle farmer and mental health campaigner, says he was dismissed from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Health and Wellbeing Ministerial Advisory Committee this week for "asking inconvenient questions" and criticising the government in an ABC radio interview four weeks ago.

Rob Mitchell has been sacked by a Victorian Government advisory committee. Photo: Angela Wylie

During the interview, he said he had struggled to get the committee to advance the Safe Schools Coalition program, which teaches students about homosexuality, and said working for the advisory group had been "mind numbing".

Mr Mitchell also slammed the Coalition's HIV policies and said Premier Denis Napthine and Health Minister David Davis' appearances at the Midsumma Festival and Gay Pride March had been "window dressing of the worst sort" to try to win votes.

On Tuesday, Mr Mitchell said that when the deputy chair of the committee, Associate Professor Ruth McNair, cancelled a meeting he had set up with the Department of Education in February to discuss the school program, he called Melbourne University to ask for her photograph so he could make a bumper sticker with it.

"He wanted my photo, said I was a load of crap, wanted to put it on a bumper sticker and that I was undermining the health and wellbeing of young people," Associate Professor McNair said on Tuesday morning.

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"It was completely inappropriate. I didn't respond of course because it's not worth responding to that sort of behaviour. It's just an example of the sort of lengths he will go to to make a point," said the GP who works at Melbourne University.

Associate Professor McNair said Mr Mitchell had been "oppositional" and very difficult to work with on the committee, which began its work about a year ago.

"He tends to behave in a very aggressive way during the committee meetings and vilifies people openly in front of everyone else. I'm just the latest target but several of the other committee members have been targeted in different ways."

Mr Mitchell said although he could be a "right pain in the arse" at times, he was frustrated that the committee had not followed its work plan, which included exploring programs for "school-based settings" that address the needs of young people at risk of psychological distress, self-harm, high-risk behaviour and suicidal thoughts.

He said the Safe Schools Coalition program had only reached about 120 of Victoria's 2200 schools to date and that it required about $5 million a year to expand.

"Research shows that one in four non-heterosexual young people experience suicidal thoughts each year and programs like the Safe Schools Coalition can reduce homophobia - a key driver of mental ill health among young people," he said.

"Whether or not I'm on the committee is irrelevant – what matters is that these issues are addressed. While they are not, we are not going to get any progress," he said.

Mr Mitchell said he did not call Associate Professor McNair crap, but said her work had been crap. He said he not been aggressive, but rather "combative and straight to the point".

"The only reason I'm frustrated is because I know this problem is fixable. It comes down to a lack of backbone," he said.

A spokesman for Health Minister David Davis said: "The Minister has carefully considered advice of the Department of Health, committee chair Mike Kennedy, deputy chair Ruth McNair, and the committee's working group chairs, regarding Mr Mitchell's membership and behaviour towards his colleagues on the committee and has determined that the termination of his membership is the best course of action so the committee can continue its important work on developing rigorous and expert advice to Government regarding the health and wellbeing of GLBTI Victorians in a harmonious way."

The spokesman said the government was "proud of its achievements to date on the health and wellbeing of GLBTI Victorians and recognises that there is still more to be done."